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LGHL Ohio State gets revenge on Iowa 90-78, advances to Big Ten quarterfinal
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Ohio State gets revenge on Iowa 90-78, advances to Big Ten quarterfinal
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
The victory likely puts the Buckeyes one more win away from an NCAA Tournament berth.
“If they can win three more, they have a chance.”
“If they win at Rutgers, they have a chance.”
“If Diebler can win five of six plus a few at the Big Ten Tournament, they have a chance.”
Well folks, rubber met the road Thursday evening in Minneapolis, where the No. 10 seed Ohio State Buckeyes faced off with the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament. No more hypotheticals, no more what-ifs or if-onlys. After finishing the year 5-1 in their last six games of the regular season, the Buckeyes entered the Big Ten Tournament knowing full well that they could make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tournament.
As fate would have it, the bracket shook out in a way that Ohio State would not be able to win the Big Ten Tournament without beating at least two teams that it did not beat in the regular season, starting with the Hawkeyes. Iowa, like Ohio State, entered Thursday’s game sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Both teams knew the stakes. Winner stays in town and faces No. 2 seed Illinois tomorrow night; loser goes home and prepares for the NIT next week. Nothing complicated about it.
In Jake Diebler’s first-ever postseason game as (interim) head coach, he stuck with the same starting five that was used all season by Chris Holtmann, and now him — Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara. Fran McCaffery, in search of his second Big Ten Tournament title, went with a starting five of Tony Perkins, Josh Dix, Payton Sandfort, Ben Krikke, and Owen Freeman.
Ohio State couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game, holding Iowa to just one made basket over the first 3:59 of the game and taking a 10-2 lead into the first media timeout. Bruce Thornton, who shot just 31.2% from three in the regular season, knocked down two three-pointers in the first few minutes, the second of which forced McCaffery to use his first timeout.
After the timeout, Sandfort and the Hawkeyes recovered and went on an 8-0 run in just over 90 seconds, tying it at 15 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The junior forward from Waukee, Iowa has been on a tear lately, averaging 24 points per game over his last three. He had nine in the first eight minutes of Thursday’s game, including two three-pointers.
Scotty Middleton knocked down his second three-pointer of the game to make it 25-17 with 10:32 left in the half, and moments later, hit a soft baseline floater for his seventh and eighth points of the game to make it 29-22. The Buckeyes weren’t pushing Iowa out of the picture, but the defense inarguably was better than in the first meeting. By the under-eight media timeout, Ohio State led the Hawkeyes by seven.
The two teams continued to scorch the nets back and forth until the halftime buzzer, with Ohio State leading 43-38 at the break. The Buckeyes combined to hit 8 of its 11 three-pointers in the first half, while Iowa knocked down five of nine. Middleton led Ohio State in scoring over the first 20 minutes with 11 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting. The Buckeyes’ bench also outscored Iowa’s bench 23-7in the first 20 minutes. Sandfort led Iowa with nine first-half points, scoring all nine in the first eight minutes.
The two teams kept knocking down treys early in the second half, with Thornton and Battle each knocking down one in the first few minutes, while Sandfort hit his third and fourth of the game. The Buckeyes missed their other six shots, however, and that 2-for-8 start to the second half allowed Iowa to close the gap to 51-48 by the first media timeout at 15:19.
The Buckeyes started getting downhill and drawing fouls, with Iowa picking up their seventh team foul of the half before the under-12 media timeout. Thanks to a pair of free throws from Devin Royal and four from Battle, the Buckeyes extended their lead to nine points — 63-54 — by the 12-minute mark.
Ohio State opened up an 11-point lead, but Freeman responded with a layup and the Hawkeyes cut it to 73-65 by the under-eight timeout with 6:58 left in the game. Once Ohio State pushed the lead to double-digits — even temporarily — the Hawkeyes started forcing a few more ill-advised shots and they fell further behind. The Buckeyes were also getting timely offensive rebounds from Battle and Royal, which took the wind out of Iowa’s sails even more.
With the fear of Iowa’s potent offense breaking off a big run at any time, Ohio State continued to get downhill and attack the basket, drawing free throws and preventing the Hawkeyes from gathering any kind of momentum. Iowa hung around until the very end, but by the time the final buzzer sounded, Ohio State had exacted revenge on the Hawkeyes, winning 90-78 and officially ending Iowa’s stay in Minneapolis.
Ohio State was led by Battle, who scored 23 points, all of which came in the second half. He was 2-for-4 from three-point land and 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Thornton finished one assist shy of his first career double-double with 14 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in 33 minutes. Sandfort led four double-digit Iowa scorers with 19 on 5-of-13 shooting.
The Buckeyes shot 51.7% as a unit, and went 11-for-20 from three-point range. Iowa shot 41.9% overall and was 8-of-21 from three.
If you weren’t around on Thursday night to see Ohio State win its fifth game in a row and advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals, here are a few key moments, plays, and runs that were the difference in this one:
Iowa was failing to stop the ball early on and Thornton kept winding up in a matchup with Krikke, which led to multiple early threes for Ohio State’s point guard. After Thornton knocked down his second of the game just four minutes in to make it 10-2, Fran McCaffery used his first timeout to regroup.
Iowa’s high-powered offense wasn’t going to sleep all night, and on this given night, it took them about five minutes to wake up. After the Buckeyes went up 10-2, Iowa outscored Ohio State 13-5 over the next 3:44 to tie it up, 15-all. Sandfort was the catalyst, knocking down a pair of early three-pointers to stop this one from getting out of hand.
Diebler’s elevation to interim head coach coincided with a sharp increase in minutes for freshman Scotty Middleton, and with those increased minutes has come a ton of confidence. Coming into this game, Middleton had knocked down 8 of his last 13 three-pointers.
He followed that up by knocking down three three-pointers and scoring 11 points in the first half, giving Ohio State a boost in a fast-paced game that favored the Hawkeyes.
After Middleton made it 33-28 with his third three-point make of the game, Iowa held the ball for the final shot of the half. Freshman guard Brock Harding drove to the ball on the left side, trying to score over the top of Gayle. However, Gayle was ready and swatted the ball towards the Ohio State bench, but had the awareness to run over, grab the ball, and hoist it high into the air so that it would not fall out of bounds.
Dix caught the ball near halfcourt and had to hoist up a prayer at the buzzer, which did not drop. Had the ball fallen out of bounds after Gayle’s block, Iowa would’ve been able to run an out-of-bounds play from the baseline with three seconds left. Instead, all they got was a half-court prayer.
After Bonner missed a three-pointer with 13:26 remaining, Royal came down with the offensive rebound and was pushed out of bounds by Ladji Dembele, who was called for his second foul. Ohio State got the ball out of bounds below the basket, and Bonner was able to slip a quick bounce pass to a cutting Battle, who scored to make it 59-50. The nine-point lead represented Ohio State’s biggest lead of the day at the time.
Ohio State wins the Race to 69
With Ohio State up 67-60 and the shot clock dwindling, Thornton hoisted up a three-pointer over Harding that was not close, but caught the corner of the iron and dropped right below the basket to Battle, who read it perfectly and dropped it in the bucket despite contact from McCaffery. The bucket made it 69-60, and the ensuing free throw made it 70-60 with 9:30 remaining in the game.
One of the biggest differences from the way Holtmann managed minutes to Diebler is the way Diebler has leaned on his bench. The interim head coach hasn’t been afraid to go 10 or even 11-deep in must-win games, even playing guys like Taison Chatman and Austin Parks in the first half of games at times.
Ohio State’s bench outscored Iowa 33-13 on Thursday night, highlighted by 11 points from Middleton, eight points from Zed Key, and eight from Devin Royal.
No. 10 Ohio State (20-12, 9-11) faces No. 2 Illinois (23-8, 14-6) tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. ET in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The winner of that game will face either Indiana, Penn State, or Nebraska in the Big Ten semifinal on Saturday. The Buckeyes need to beat Illinois to even have a chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State’s game versus Illinois will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
The victory likely puts the Buckeyes one more win away from an NCAA Tournament berth.
“If they can win three more, they have a chance.”
“If they win at Rutgers, they have a chance.”
“If Diebler can win five of six plus a few at the Big Ten Tournament, they have a chance.”
Well folks, rubber met the road Thursday evening in Minneapolis, where the No. 10 seed Ohio State Buckeyes faced off with the No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament. No more hypotheticals, no more what-ifs or if-onlys. After finishing the year 5-1 in their last six games of the regular season, the Buckeyes entered the Big Ten Tournament knowing full well that they could make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tournament.
As fate would have it, the bracket shook out in a way that Ohio State would not be able to win the Big Ten Tournament without beating at least two teams that it did not beat in the regular season, starting with the Hawkeyes. Iowa, like Ohio State, entered Thursday’s game sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Both teams knew the stakes. Winner stays in town and faces No. 2 seed Illinois tomorrow night; loser goes home and prepares for the NIT next week. Nothing complicated about it.
In Jake Diebler’s first-ever postseason game as (interim) head coach, he stuck with the same starting five that was used all season by Chris Holtmann, and now him — Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara. Fran McCaffery, in search of his second Big Ten Tournament title, went with a starting five of Tony Perkins, Josh Dix, Payton Sandfort, Ben Krikke, and Owen Freeman.
BRUUUUCE#B1GMBBT x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/putA31vJnH
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 14, 2024
Ohio State couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game, holding Iowa to just one made basket over the first 3:59 of the game and taking a 10-2 lead into the first media timeout. Bruce Thornton, who shot just 31.2% from three in the regular season, knocked down two three-pointers in the first few minutes, the second of which forced McCaffery to use his first timeout.
After the timeout, Sandfort and the Hawkeyes recovered and went on an 8-0 run in just over 90 seconds, tying it at 15 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The junior forward from Waukee, Iowa has been on a tear lately, averaging 24 points per game over his last three. He had nine in the first eight minutes of Thursday’s game, including two three-pointers.
Scotty Middleton knocked down his second three-pointer of the game to make it 25-17 with 10:32 left in the half, and moments later, hit a soft baseline floater for his seventh and eighth points of the game to make it 29-22. The Buckeyes weren’t pushing Iowa out of the picture, but the defense inarguably was better than in the first meeting. By the under-eight media timeout, Ohio State led the Hawkeyes by seven.
The two teams continued to scorch the nets back and forth until the halftime buzzer, with Ohio State leading 43-38 at the break. The Buckeyes combined to hit 8 of its 11 three-pointers in the first half, while Iowa knocked down five of nine. Middleton led Ohio State in scoring over the first 20 minutes with 11 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting. The Buckeyes’ bench also outscored Iowa’s bench 23-7in the first 20 minutes. Sandfort led Iowa with nine first-half points, scoring all nine in the first eight minutes.
The two teams kept knocking down treys early in the second half, with Thornton and Battle each knocking down one in the first few minutes, while Sandfort hit his third and fourth of the game. The Buckeyes missed their other six shots, however, and that 2-for-8 start to the second half allowed Iowa to close the gap to 51-48 by the first media timeout at 15:19.
The Buckeyes started getting downhill and drawing fouls, with Iowa picking up their seventh team foul of the half before the under-12 media timeout. Thanks to a pair of free throws from Devin Royal and four from Battle, the Buckeyes extended their lead to nine points — 63-54 — by the 12-minute mark.
Ohio State opened up an 11-point lead, but Freeman responded with a layup and the Hawkeyes cut it to 73-65 by the under-eight timeout with 6:58 left in the game. Once Ohio State pushed the lead to double-digits — even temporarily — the Hawkeyes started forcing a few more ill-advised shots and they fell further behind. The Buckeyes were also getting timely offensive rebounds from Battle and Royal, which took the wind out of Iowa’s sails even more.
With the fear of Iowa’s potent offense breaking off a big run at any time, Ohio State continued to get downhill and attack the basket, drawing free throws and preventing the Hawkeyes from gathering any kind of momentum. Iowa hung around until the very end, but by the time the final buzzer sounded, Ohio State had exacted revenge on the Hawkeyes, winning 90-78 and officially ending Iowa’s stay in Minneapolis.
JAKE DIEBLER AND @OhioStateHoops ARE MOVING ON TO THE #B1GMBBT QUARTERFINALS
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 15, 2024
Ohio State was led by Battle, who scored 23 points, all of which came in the second half. He was 2-for-4 from three-point land and 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Thornton finished one assist shy of his first career double-double with 14 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in 33 minutes. Sandfort led four double-digit Iowa scorers with 19 on 5-of-13 shooting.
The Buckeyes shot 51.7% as a unit, and went 11-for-20 from three-point range. Iowa shot 41.9% overall and was 8-of-21 from three.
If you weren’t around on Thursday night to see Ohio State win its fifth game in a row and advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals, here are a few key moments, plays, and runs that were the difference in this one:
Buckeyes start the game on 10-2 run
Iowa was failing to stop the ball early on and Thornton kept winding up in a matchup with Krikke, which led to multiple early threes for Ohio State’s point guard. After Thornton knocked down his second of the game just four minutes in to make it 10-2, Fran McCaffery used his first timeout to regroup.
Sandfort heats up, Hawkeyes tie it at 15
Iowa’s high-powered offense wasn’t going to sleep all night, and on this given night, it took them about five minutes to wake up. After the Buckeyes went up 10-2, Iowa outscored Ohio State 13-5 over the next 3:44 to tie it up, 15-all. Sandfort was the catalyst, knocking down a pair of early three-pointers to stop this one from getting out of hand.
A confident Scotty is a good Scotty
Diebler’s elevation to interim head coach coincided with a sharp increase in minutes for freshman Scotty Middleton, and with those increased minutes has come a ton of confidence. Coming into this game, Middleton had knocked down 8 of his last 13 three-pointers.
He followed that up by knocking down three three-pointers and scoring 11 points in the first half, giving Ohio State a boost in a fast-paced game that favored the Hawkeyes.
Gayle’s heads-up play denies Iowa one final shot before halftime
After Middleton made it 33-28 with his third three-point make of the game, Iowa held the ball for the final shot of the half. Freshman guard Brock Harding drove to the ball on the left side, trying to score over the top of Gayle. However, Gayle was ready and swatted the ball towards the Ohio State bench, but had the awareness to run over, grab the ball, and hoist it high into the air so that it would not fall out of bounds.
Dix caught the ball near halfcourt and had to hoist up a prayer at the buzzer, which did not drop. Had the ball fallen out of bounds after Gayle’s block, Iowa would’ve been able to run an out-of-bounds play from the baseline with three seconds left. Instead, all they got was a half-court prayer.
Bonner connects with Battle on out-of-bounds play for nine-point lead
After Bonner missed a three-pointer with 13:26 remaining, Royal came down with the offensive rebound and was pushed out of bounds by Ladji Dembele, who was called for his second foul. Ohio State got the ball out of bounds below the basket, and Bonner was able to slip a quick bounce pass to a cutting Battle, who scored to make it 59-50. The nine-point lead represented Ohio State’s biggest lead of the day at the time.
Ohio State wins the Race to 69
With Ohio State up 67-60 and the shot clock dwindling, Thornton hoisted up a three-pointer over Harding that was not close, but caught the corner of the iron and dropped right below the basket to Battle, who read it perfectly and dropped it in the bucket despite contact from McCaffery. The bucket made it 69-60, and the ensuing free throw made it 70-60 with 9:30 remaining in the game.
Buckeyes’ bench comes up big
One of the biggest differences from the way Holtmann managed minutes to Diebler is the way Diebler has leaned on his bench. The interim head coach hasn’t been afraid to go 10 or even 11-deep in must-win games, even playing guys like Taison Chatman and Austin Parks in the first half of games at times.
Ohio State’s bench outscored Iowa 33-13 on Thursday night, highlighted by 11 points from Middleton, eight points from Zed Key, and eight from Devin Royal.
Up Next:
No. 10 Ohio State (20-12, 9-11) faces No. 2 Illinois (23-8, 14-6) tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. ET in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The winner of that game will face either Indiana, Penn State, or Nebraska in the Big Ten semifinal on Saturday. The Buckeyes need to beat Illinois to even have a chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State’s game versus Illinois will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
Continue reading...
LGHL Report: Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has agreed to become the next head coach of DePaul
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Report: Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has agreed to become the next head coach of DePaul
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller / USA TODAY NETWORK
Holtmann went 137-86 at Ohio State, taking the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament four times in six chances.
Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann’s time away from the game didn’t even last through the end of the Buckeyes’ season, as he has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons.
It was reported by multiple outlets on Thursday morning — Field of 68, The Columbus Dispatch, and Eleven Warriors, to name a few — that DePaul was focusing their coaching search on one candidate, Holtmann. By late afternoon, it was reported by Jeff Goodman that DePaul had officially hired Holtmann.
DePaul has been the worst team in the Big East since moving from Conference USA in 2005, winning a total of 98 conference games in 18 seasons — an average of five conference wins per year.
DePaul has finished bottom two in the Big East in 12 of the 18 seasons it has been in the conference. This past season, the Blue Demons went 3-29 overall and 0-20 in the Big East. Like Holtmann, DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield was fired mid-season. The program has not had a winning record in the Big East since 2007.
The move to DePaul will be a return to the Big East for Holtmann, who was the head coach at Butler from 2014 to 2017. He took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons, including making it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2017.
He did not, however, make it to the Sweet Sixteen as head coach of the Buckeyes. Holtmann, 52, took Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament four times, and would’ve a fifth time as well if the 2020 tournament was not canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio State won their first round game three of those four trips, and was upset by 15-seed Oral Roberts in the other. However, Holtmann’s Buckeyes never made it to the second weekend.
Holtmann had an overall record of 137-86 at Ohio State in seven seasons, but was a combined 30-30 his last two seasons, including 9-25 in Big Ten play. On the morning of February 14, just 12 hours after losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, outgoing athletic director Gene Smith fired Holtmann with six games remaining in the season.
Ohio State is currently paying Holtmann a $12.5-million buyout, but there is language in Holtmann’s original contract that covered the scenario where he takes a new job:
“If Coach obtains any other employment or is engaged to provide service (regardless of whether the employment or engagement constitutes a Comparable Position), then the Post-Termination Payments shall be reduced by Coach’s total compensation from all sources directly related to such position(s) (including, without limitation, salary, deferred compensation, signing bonuses or other compensation income, except not including the employee benefits costs associated with such position(s)) (the “Mitigation Compensation”). Each monthly Post-Termination Payment that would otherwise be payable under Section 5.2.1(a) or {00334005-1} 18 Section 5.2.1(b) that is payable during the time that Coach has such position(s) shall be reduced by the gross amount of the monthly Mitigation Compensation.”
In essence (based on our best, non-expert, non-legal interpretation), Ohio State could reduce the buyout amount by the total amount of Holtmann’s contract with his new employer. So if Holtmann (hypothetically) signs a 4-year, $8-million contract with DePaul, Ohio State would owe him the difference between that and his $12.5-million — $4.5-million.
Documentation regarding Holtmann’s extension, which was signed in August 2022, was not released publicly. Accordingly, there is no known change to his buyout terms from the original contract, signed in 2017.
Interim head coach Jake Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 5-1 record since Holtmann’s firing, putting them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and drawing attention as a head coaching candidate for mid-major openings this spring. Many fans want to see Diebler hired for the full-time position after galvanizing the team and staff in the middle of what looked like a lost season, but the expectation is that new athletic director Ross Bjork will hire someone externally.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Scheller / USA TODAY NETWORK
Holtmann went 137-86 at Ohio State, taking the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament four times in six chances.
Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann’s time away from the game didn’t even last through the end of the Buckeyes’ season, as he has reportedly agreed to become the next head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons.
It was reported by multiple outlets on Thursday morning — Field of 68, The Columbus Dispatch, and Eleven Warriors, to name a few — that DePaul was focusing their coaching search on one candidate, Holtmann. By late afternoon, it was reported by Jeff Goodman that DePaul had officially hired Holtmann.
DePaul has been the worst team in the Big East since moving from Conference USA in 2005, winning a total of 98 conference games in 18 seasons — an average of five conference wins per year.
DePaul has finished bottom two in the Big East in 12 of the 18 seasons it has been in the conference. This past season, the Blue Demons went 3-29 overall and 0-20 in the Big East. Like Holtmann, DePaul coach Tony Stubblefield was fired mid-season. The program has not had a winning record in the Big East since 2007.
The move to DePaul will be a return to the Big East for Holtmann, who was the head coach at Butler from 2014 to 2017. He took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons, including making it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2017.
He did not, however, make it to the Sweet Sixteen as head coach of the Buckeyes. Holtmann, 52, took Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament four times, and would’ve a fifth time as well if the 2020 tournament was not canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio State won their first round game three of those four trips, and was upset by 15-seed Oral Roberts in the other. However, Holtmann’s Buckeyes never made it to the second weekend.
Holtmann had an overall record of 137-86 at Ohio State in seven seasons, but was a combined 30-30 his last two seasons, including 9-25 in Big Ten play. On the morning of February 14, just 12 hours after losing to the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, outgoing athletic director Gene Smith fired Holtmann with six games remaining in the season.
Ohio State is currently paying Holtmann a $12.5-million buyout, but there is language in Holtmann’s original contract that covered the scenario where he takes a new job:
“If Coach obtains any other employment or is engaged to provide service (regardless of whether the employment or engagement constitutes a Comparable Position), then the Post-Termination Payments shall be reduced by Coach’s total compensation from all sources directly related to such position(s) (including, without limitation, salary, deferred compensation, signing bonuses or other compensation income, except not including the employee benefits costs associated with such position(s)) (the “Mitigation Compensation”). Each monthly Post-Termination Payment that would otherwise be payable under Section 5.2.1(a) or {00334005-1} 18 Section 5.2.1(b) that is payable during the time that Coach has such position(s) shall be reduced by the gross amount of the monthly Mitigation Compensation.”
In essence (based on our best, non-expert, non-legal interpretation), Ohio State could reduce the buyout amount by the total amount of Holtmann’s contract with his new employer. So if Holtmann (hypothetically) signs a 4-year, $8-million contract with DePaul, Ohio State would owe him the difference between that and his $12.5-million — $4.5-million.
Documentation regarding Holtmann’s extension, which was signed in August 2022, was not released publicly. Accordingly, there is no known change to his buyout terms from the original contract, signed in 2017.
Interim head coach Jake Diebler led the Buckeyes to a 5-1 record since Holtmann’s firing, putting them firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and drawing attention as a head coaching candidate for mid-major openings this spring. Many fans want to see Diebler hired for the full-time position after galvanizing the team and staff in the middle of what looked like a lost season, but the expectation is that new athletic director Ross Bjork will hire someone externally.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State Wrestling: Mendez a champ, Buckeyes settle for fifth at the 2024 Big Ten Championships
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Ohio State Wrestling: Mendez a champ, Buckeyes settle for fifth at the 2024 Big Ten Championships
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
While certain Buckeyes performed very well individually, the team’s slow start led to a mediocre finish.
Seeking the program’s first top-3 (team) finish at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships since 2020, Ohio State stumbled out of the gates this past weekend and, unfortunately, never even challenged the likes of Penn State, Michigan, and/or Nebraska.
Instead, the Buckeyes finished in fifth place, 81.5(!) points behind the Nittany Lions, who earned their second Big Ten Championship in a row and eighth overall.
The tournament got off to an ominous start for OSU, as Tom Ryan’s squad lost four of its first five individual matches — a rough stretch that included a surprising upset of Nic Bouzakis at 133 pounds.
Bouzakis, a 3-seed for the Buckeyes, was up big in his match with 14-seed Brody Teske of Iowa but surrendered several points in the third period to let victory slip away. Bouzakis rebounded with a win in his second match, but then dropped his third, eliminating him from both the tournament and contention for an automatic NCAA bid.
Brendan McCrone (125) and Bryce Hepner (165) also struggled over the weekend, losing all four of their combined matches. Both were 8-seeds going in, but had potential to finish much higher, as evidenced by McCrone’s regular season upsets of No. 1 and No. 4 in the country, as well as Hepner’s No. 12 national ranking. But neither was able to get anything going, leading to a pair of quick and early exits.
Despite the team’s disappointing finish, there were still some impressive individual highlights for Ohio State, including 141-pounder Jesse Mendez capturing the program’s 58th individual Big Ten title.
He capped off an outstanding tournament with back-to-back victories over Iowa’s Real Woods and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, who have four All-American nods and an NCAA runner-up finish between them. Already viewed as a national contender, Mendez may now be the odds-on favorite (in his weight class) to win OSU’s first individual NCAA Championship since 2018.
Heavyweight Nick Feldman and 174-pounder Rocco Welsh also impressed for the Buckeyes, finishing second and third, respectively. Both are in their first season competing for the Scarlet and Gray and have proven to be stars in the making. They will likely head to the National Championships in Kansas City as top-5 or top-10 seeds in their respective weight classes.
But strictly from a team perspective, the Big Ten Championships were a bit of a disappointment for Ohio State. Ryan’s guys entered with high expectations and achieved only mediocre results — mediocre for such a talented group, that is. Thus the top-3 drought continues for the Buckeyes, who will now turn their collective attention toward the NCAAs, beginning March 21.
Ohio State will be well-represented in KC, with nine Buckeyes set to compete: Seven automatic qualifiers from the Big Ten Championships, plus Bouzakis and McCrone, who earned two of the 47 at-large spots. There, OSU will be looking to finish the season strong and potentially even match their Big Ten finish, which is exactly what they did last season (4th at both postseason tourneys).
While a top-5 national finish might sound like a longshot given the team’s most recent performance, keep in mind that this year’s Big Ten Championships featured 7 of the top 14-ranked teams in the country. The NCAAs are another step up, but here’s hoping Ohio State can replicate some of their regular season success.
Go Bucks!
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
While certain Buckeyes performed very well individually, the team’s slow start led to a mediocre finish.
Seeking the program’s first top-3 (team) finish at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships since 2020, Ohio State stumbled out of the gates this past weekend and, unfortunately, never even challenged the likes of Penn State, Michigan, and/or Nebraska.
Instead, the Buckeyes finished in fifth place, 81.5(!) points behind the Nittany Lions, who earned their second Big Ten Championship in a row and eighth overall.
The tournament got off to an ominous start for OSU, as Tom Ryan’s squad lost four of its first five individual matches — a rough stretch that included a surprising upset of Nic Bouzakis at 133 pounds.
Bouzakis, a 3-seed for the Buckeyes, was up big in his match with 14-seed Brody Teske of Iowa but surrendered several points in the third period to let victory slip away. Bouzakis rebounded with a win in his second match, but then dropped his third, eliminating him from both the tournament and contention for an automatic NCAA bid.
Brendan McCrone (125) and Bryce Hepner (165) also struggled over the weekend, losing all four of their combined matches. Both were 8-seeds going in, but had potential to finish much higher, as evidenced by McCrone’s regular season upsets of No. 1 and No. 4 in the country, as well as Hepner’s No. 12 national ranking. But neither was able to get anything going, leading to a pair of quick and early exits.
Despite the team’s disappointing finish, there were still some impressive individual highlights for Ohio State, including 141-pounder Jesse Mendez capturing the program’s 58th individual Big Ten title.
He capped off an outstanding tournament with back-to-back victories over Iowa’s Real Woods and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, who have four All-American nods and an NCAA runner-up finish between them. Already viewed as a national contender, Mendez may now be the odds-on favorite (in his weight class) to win OSU’s first individual NCAA Championship since 2018.
Heavyweight Nick Feldman and 174-pounder Rocco Welsh also impressed for the Buckeyes, finishing second and third, respectively. Both are in their first season competing for the Scarlet and Gray and have proven to be stars in the making. They will likely head to the National Championships in Kansas City as top-5 or top-10 seeds in their respective weight classes.
But strictly from a team perspective, the Big Ten Championships were a bit of a disappointment for Ohio State. Ryan’s guys entered with high expectations and achieved only mediocre results — mediocre for such a talented group, that is. Thus the top-3 drought continues for the Buckeyes, who will now turn their collective attention toward the NCAAs, beginning March 21.
Ohio State will be well-represented in KC, with nine Buckeyes set to compete: Seven automatic qualifiers from the Big Ten Championships, plus Bouzakis and McCrone, who earned two of the 47 at-large spots. There, OSU will be looking to finish the season strong and potentially even match their Big Ten finish, which is exactly what they did last season (4th at both postseason tourneys).
While a top-5 national finish might sound like a longshot given the team’s most recent performance, keep in mind that this year’s Big Ten Championships featured 7 of the top 14-ranked teams in the country. The NCAAs are another step up, but here’s hoping Ohio State can replicate some of their regular season success.
Go Bucks!
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LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball Bracketology, March Madness tournament structure and key dates
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Ohio State women’s basketball Bracketology, March Madness tournament structure and key dates
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Here’s what you need to know about the Buckeyes’ inclusion in the NCAA Tournament before Sunday’s announcement of the tourney field
Ohio State women’s basketball left the Big Ten Tournament early after a one-sided defeat to the Maryland Terrapins, but the postseason is far from over. The Buckeyes still have a chance to exceed its Elite Eight tournament run from last season when March Madness starts next week.
Here’s what you need to know about the tournament, along with where the Scarlet and Gray might fall when the NCAA Tournament committee shares its tournament field this Sunday.
As the regular season ends, the NCAA Tournament committee releases its weekly top-16. That ranking includes every team on the radar to be a top-four seed in the annual tournament. In the final edition, before the Buckeyes traveled to Iowa City on March 3, Ohio State was in the top-four, earning it a potential No. 1 seed.
A lot’s happened since then.
The defeat to the Hawkeyes, and the subsequent loss five days later against the Terrapins, means that a No. 1 seed is no longer a strong likelihood. However, there’s no official way to know with the NCAA Tournament committee no longer releasing top-16 rankings. The closest system to go off is the art of Bracketology.
Across media outlets like The Athletic, Her Hoop Stats and ESPN, a two-seed is the consensus spot for Ohio State, with opponents varying between outlet. However, the groups don’t only agree on seeding, but also location and pairing with a No. 1 seed.
All outlets have the Big Ten regular season champs in the Albany 1 region, featuring the South Carolina Gamecocks, the likely No. 1 overall tournament seed.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25334431/usa_today_22747529.jpg "NCAA Womens Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament Championship - South Carolina vs LSU")
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks have lost one game since the start of the 2022/23 season
Should both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the region make it through the Sweet Sixteen, it means a matchup with the only undefeated team in men or women’s Division I NCAA basketball.
For those who extended Ohio State fandom to the women’s basketball team this season, most of the tournament structure is the same as the men. The tournament still features 68 teams, with four play-in games before the official first round. Then, it’s the same route from the First Round through the Final Four. The lone difference is location.
Each of the four bracket’s top four seeds host the first and second round games, with four cities also hosting a play-in, First Four, game. Last season, the Buckeyes hosted the first two rounds, plus a play-in contest.
With a likely top-four seeding this year, Ohio State will host the first two rounds next week, in Columbus.
Another location difference between the men and women’s games are in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Instead of using four different host cities, the women centralize its regional semifinals and finals in two cities. In 2024 its Portland, Oregon and Albany, New York.
Last season, the Buckeyes traveled to the West Coast for one of two Seattle, Washington finals. Should Bracketology hold true, Scarlet and Gray fans have a substantially shorter trip to New York if it gets through the first two rounds.
The 68-team tournament field announcement is Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN. However, the range of dates for each of the rounds of the tournament are already scheduled.
First Four: Wednesday, March 20 through Thursday, March 21
First Round: Friday, March 22 through Saturday, March 23
Second Round: Sunday, March 24 through Monday, March 25
Sweet Sixteen: Friday, March 29 through Saturday, March 30
Elite Eight: Sunday, March 31 through Monday, April 1
Final Four: Friday, April 5
National Championship: Sunday, April 7
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Here’s what you need to know about the Buckeyes’ inclusion in the NCAA Tournament before Sunday’s announcement of the tourney field
Ohio State women’s basketball left the Big Ten Tournament early after a one-sided defeat to the Maryland Terrapins, but the postseason is far from over. The Buckeyes still have a chance to exceed its Elite Eight tournament run from last season when March Madness starts next week.
Here’s what you need to know about the tournament, along with where the Scarlet and Gray might fall when the NCAA Tournament committee shares its tournament field this Sunday.
Bracketology
As the regular season ends, the NCAA Tournament committee releases its weekly top-16. That ranking includes every team on the radar to be a top-four seed in the annual tournament. In the final edition, before the Buckeyes traveled to Iowa City on March 3, Ohio State was in the top-four, earning it a potential No. 1 seed.
A lot’s happened since then.
The defeat to the Hawkeyes, and the subsequent loss five days later against the Terrapins, means that a No. 1 seed is no longer a strong likelihood. However, there’s no official way to know with the NCAA Tournament committee no longer releasing top-16 rankings. The closest system to go off is the art of Bracketology.
Across media outlets like The Athletic, Her Hoop Stats and ESPN, a two-seed is the consensus spot for Ohio State, with opponents varying between outlet. However, the groups don’t only agree on seeding, but also location and pairing with a No. 1 seed.
All outlets have the Big Ten regular season champs in the Albany 1 region, featuring the South Carolina Gamecocks, the likely No. 1 overall tournament seed.
Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks have lost one game since the start of the 2022/23 season
Should both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the region make it through the Sweet Sixteen, it means a matchup with the only undefeated team in men or women’s Division I NCAA basketball.
Tournament Structure
For those who extended Ohio State fandom to the women’s basketball team this season, most of the tournament structure is the same as the men. The tournament still features 68 teams, with four play-in games before the official first round. Then, it’s the same route from the First Round through the Final Four. The lone difference is location.
Each of the four bracket’s top four seeds host the first and second round games, with four cities also hosting a play-in, First Four, game. Last season, the Buckeyes hosted the first two rounds, plus a play-in contest.
With a likely top-four seeding this year, Ohio State will host the first two rounds next week, in Columbus.
Another location difference between the men and women’s games are in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Instead of using four different host cities, the women centralize its regional semifinals and finals in two cities. In 2024 its Portland, Oregon and Albany, New York.
Last season, the Buckeyes traveled to the West Coast for one of two Seattle, Washington finals. Should Bracketology hold true, Scarlet and Gray fans have a substantially shorter trip to New York if it gets through the first two rounds.
Key Dates
The 68-team tournament field announcement is Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET, live on ESPN. However, the range of dates for each of the rounds of the tournament are already scheduled.
First Four: Wednesday, March 20 through Thursday, March 21
First Round: Friday, March 22 through Saturday, March 23
Second Round: Sunday, March 24 through Monday, March 25
Sweet Sixteen: Friday, March 29 through Saturday, March 30
Elite Eight: Sunday, March 31 through Monday, April 1
Final Four: Friday, April 5
National Championship: Sunday, April 7
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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Way-too-early spring practice observations and a shocking staff departure
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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Way-too-early spring practice observations and a shocking staff departure
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Hangout Boys react to Ohio State’s first few spring football practices, and give their predictions for the men’s (basketball) Big Ten Tournament game against Iowa.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck take a deep, deep dive into Ohio State’s spring football practices... All, uh, both of them. As well as Tony Alford’s shocking move to Michigan.
But first, is the OSU men’s basketball team about to make another surprising Big Ten Tournament run? With five wins in six games under Jake Diebler, it certainly seems possible. The Buckeyes take on Iowa in the first round, in a game the Scarlet and Gray desperately need to win if they have any hope(s) of making the Big Dance.
After making a few men’s hoops predictions, the hosts turn their attention toward football. Why in the hell is Tony Alford leaving for Michigan? And what, if anything, was learned during the Buckeyes’ customary spring acclimation period?
The answer to the latter is probably “nothing”, but the Hangout Boys sort through way-too-early questions and observations anyway.
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Hangout Boys react to Ohio State’s first few spring football practices, and give their predictions for the men’s (basketball) Big Ten Tournament game against Iowa.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck take a deep, deep dive into Ohio State’s spring football practices... All, uh, both of them. As well as Tony Alford’s shocking move to Michigan.
But first, is the OSU men’s basketball team about to make another surprising Big Ten Tournament run? With five wins in six games under Jake Diebler, it certainly seems possible. The Buckeyes take on Iowa in the first round, in a game the Scarlet and Gray desperately need to win if they have any hope(s) of making the Big Dance.
After making a few men’s hoops predictions, the hosts turn their attention toward football. Why in the hell is Tony Alford leaving for Michigan? And what, if anything, was learned during the Buckeyes’ customary spring acclimation period?
The answer to the latter is probably “nothing”, but the Hangout Boys sort through way-too-early questions and observations anyway.
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
